After a career in journalism, Mark van der Werf (1976) made the switch to education. He started teaching at a primary school. This short-lived career switch is the subject of his first book: Meester Mark draait door. It was in the Bestseller Top 60 for a month and unleashed a weeks-long debate on work pressure among teachers, including in newspaper Trouw. Mark continued to write about education, publishing such books as Meester Mark vraagt door, Meester Mark graaft door, Schoolpleinmoeders (Schoolyard Moms) and Juf Ans. In 2021, Ploegsma published Meester Mark - de grappigste taalfoutjes uit de klas, which made it to the Bestseller 60 and received rave reviews. Mark's books have sold more than 60,000 copies.